A suspicious package discovered Monday in the entrance of the Capitol Visitor Center.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - A suspicious package discovered Monday in the entrance of the Capitol Visitor Center caused authorities to evacuate the facility and destroy the package.

The rest of the Capitol Building complex and congressional offices were unaffected by the security scare, according to CNN journalists on the scene. More than 10 emergency vehicles, including two designed for handling hazardous materials, converged on the area.

At one point, a Capitol Police advisory sent by e-mail to House staff members alerted them to an emergency situation.

"The U.S. Capitol Police is in the process of disrupting the suspicious package located at the CVC entrance," said the e-mail obtained by CNN. "You may hear a loud bang or pop. There is no need for you to take any additional
action."

A few minutes later, security personnel destroyed the package with a loud single bang that startled onlookers gathered outside the visitors' center, which opened last December. No injuries were reported in the incident that jammed pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the immediate vicinity.